OMG, and I thought Bobby "Casper" Morgan's comment earlier about where is the visitors center was the most incredulous posting of the year!! Took all of a couple of hours to surpass that one.

Congratulations stevie711, you are the new champion!

You are right, Spyglass...how in the world could anyone in this town not know about Canongate and the Tennis Center at this point????

And don't you just love the conspiratorial comments..."I also understand they are operating under a different name to conceal this. Is there any truth to this?" OOOO!! Time to bring in James Bond!

Hey, stevie boy, it's been in the paper...try reading it sometimes!

WOW, why are you such an idiot. I was just asking a question. You have issues. See a shrink it might help. Better yet pop another pill. CALM DOWN.......

I've not seen that. In Planterra Tenis Center? Who runs it, if not the city? I hope we haven't sold out to another real estate company like Williams did in the 1980's.

No one runs it. It is not City, County, or State! I think some lawyer does. Or some developer.

They buy Tennis Centers and run Amphitheaters into the ground!

Tennis Pros borrow millions and leave.

They do collect taxes from hotels and motels and spend it.

What is a Canongate?
Why are weeds growing high around a visitor Center?
How many visitors has it had lately?
Who works there?
I thought the visitors center was in the area across from Westpark! People are always movin stuff! Where is my cart path map?

Wouldn't it be better to make a contract for mowing to include only mowing when it is needed, but mow when it is needed?
Trying to schedule Mother Nature is foolish!

Maybe we should just fire the mowers and allow citizens to adopt certain mileage to mow. It doesn't work for adopt-a-mile but maybe it will here!

I'm just talking with the same sense as our government here seems to operate!

It is on the left side of the Tennis Center and has been there for years. It is run by Tourism.

Don Haddix
PTC Councilman
Post 1
donhaddix.com

Don,
Can you explain what exactly Tourism does? Where does the hotel/motel tax go exactly?

They promote local hotels, motels, conventions, tourist attractions and related via Websites, guides, promotion booklets, media releases and other avenues that get word outside of PTC to bring people to PTC on vacations, sporting events and other non permanent type visits.

As well the run the Welcome Center.

The allowed percentage of the Hotel/Motel goes to the General Fund to be used against the Tennis Center debt assumed in 2006 and other portions to the Airport and Tourism expenses.

Under the new program I brought back to the city, which has to be approved in the next State legislative session, about $250,000 will be allowed to be used in the General Fund and some could be used for some amenities such as paths.

By removing the Tennis Center and Fred from their management that frees up funds for other uses and should reduce Tourism overhead, further freeing up funds.

That is a general overview. I think more can be done to make Tourism more effective.

Just to kick in here DAPC attracts businesses and employers here on a permanent basis. But they get no Hotel/Motel Tax.

Both functions are essential to just about any city.

Don Haddix
PTC Councilman
Post 1
donhaddix.com

"Just to kick in here DAPC attracts businesses and employers here on a permanent basis. But they get no Hotel/Motel Tax."

So they are doing the same thing the Fayette County Development Authority gets paid to do? Why would we have two organizations in the same county doing the same job? Just wondering...

No, they are not doing the same thing. County only handles big new companies. They do not do redevelopment, empty retail space, small development, business associations or anything on the smaller scale.

DAPC can do all the County does if it came to them but the County does not do what DAPC can do.

In the structure of State, County and Municipal development authorities there are different relationships. A DDA is yet distinct again.

Fayetteville, in example, has a DDA (down town development authority, which is different than our Development Authority or the County. A DDA and DA are very different legally.

In example, I have qualified to sit on a DDA where I am not sure any of our DAPC members have. But a DDA is not appropriate for PTC.

Don Haddix
PTC Councilman
Post 1
donhaddix.com

Great work over the previous two years. It has been a priviledge getting to know you since we met that evening at Kroger back in the summer of '07.

Should half the candidates running for PTC office do the necessary research as you have done, then our town will be in great shape. Not all of us will agree with you on everything, but rest assured that the sincerity in what you say makes quite a difference. Thanks for taking the time to address those on this site that no other Councilmember has done.

Let's get you elected!

It must be hard to get anything done with your lips glued to Don's butt! Too funny!

Exactly what do you think any tourism center does?

I actually went and looked at it for the first time. That's embarrassing. Not only is it not useful, the location is about the worst possible. What visitor is going to drive into something on that side of the city?

If you really want to do something useful, do it at the library or city hall. You could easily get real estate companies to donate sponsorship money and do something really nice. We should be proud of our city.

The city lets the weeds grow to over two feet in height on the adjacent property and the median on Planterra Way (all city owned property).

The "new and improved" landscaping deal, obviously, did not include all city rights of way. It is the last place I would want a vistor (or a visiting tennis team) to our city to go.

There is an issue, I agree, but it was a failure of Staff to adjust the mowing program more promptly from a drought based one to a wetter year one. Not the outsourcing.

The mowing program is the same one the City employees were on.

Don Haddix
PTC Councilman
Post 1
donhaddix.com

Pl
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ooops!

So we contract on a drought base or a flood base, do we?

If they don't want to mow it when it needs mowing then fire them!

Well I certainly have never seen who is paying for it and just where it is listed on the debts!
Nor the interest we have paid all these years!